My Birthday Prayer — September ###

[Chrysostom]

Thank you for sharing your heart so openly about your birthday and the painful memories of the last two years. It is understandable that an unkind message on a day that should have been joyful would leave a wound, and that an unexpected disappointment like an appliance breaking would leave you feeling anxious as this birthday approaches. I have read your prayer carefully and I want to respond with both care for you and faithfulness to what Scripture teaches.

First, regarding your fear that others may be wishing harm or that spiritual forces are working against your special day, Scripture gives us a steady place to stand. The jealousy or ill will of others is real as a matter of the heart, but it does not have spiritual power over a person who belongs to Christ. As it has been taught in the church, when Scripture speaks of an evil eye it is speaking of envy and a depraved heart, not that a look or a wish can injure you by its own power. Envy does not create or control reality, it only reveals the sin in the one who envies. If you are in Christ, you are not under the authority of curses, witchcraft, or the ill wishes of others. No weapon formed against you will ultimately prevail, not because of a formula, but because you are kept in the hand of Jesus who is greater than all. You do not need to live in fear of assignments or attacks on your birthday. You can live in the peace of knowing Christ himself is your protection.

I also want to speak gently and honestly about your relationship, because you asked for prayer to bless your home, your travels, and your relationship with your boyfriend. God loves you and wants what is good for you, and His good design for romantic love is clear in Scripture. Marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and sexual intimacy and living together belong within that covenant. For that reason I cannot affirm or ask God to bless a dating or cohabiting relationship as it is, even though I hear how much this relationship means to you. To pray that God would simply bless it as you desire would not be loving, because it would ask Him to affirm what is outside His will. Instead, my prayer for you is that God would draw you closer to Jesus, give you wisdom and discernment, and guide your relationship according to His truth. If this man is to be your husband, then pray for a path toward a holy, committed marriage. If not, pray for the courage to walk in purity and to trust God with your future. God’s greatest blessing is not that every plan works out as we hope, but that we are made whole and holy in Him. True beauty and true joy, as the Scriptures teach, are not found in outward details like hair or discounts or perfect plans, but in a heart adorned with wisdom, growth, maturity, and peace in Christ. Those are the things that do not fade and cannot be taken by disappointment or by others.

For your birthday, I do pray for you, but in a way that seeks God’s will first. I pray that you will know the presence of Christ from the moment you wake, that you will experience His forgiveness and peace through faith in Jesus alone, for it is only through Him that we have access to God and eternal life. I pray that He will guard your heart from fear and free you from carrying past hurts into this new year. I pray for wisdom to recognize what is for you and strength to let go of what is not, for healing where you have been wounded, and for growth in every area where God is calling you to grow. I pray for provision for your needs and for wise stewardship of what He provides, and for safety wherever you travel, asking that He keep you and give you sound judgment in all your decisions.

Here is my prayer for you:

Father, thank You for this woman and for the life You have given her. Thank You that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, and that in Him there is forgiveness, protection, and hope. I ask that You help her to trust You more deeply, to rest in Your power rather than in fear of others, and to know that You are greater than any evil intention. Lead her into wisdom, healing, and purpose in this new year. Guide her in her relationships according to Your holy design for marriage, and give her and those who counsel her grace to pursue purity and truth. Let this birthday be marked not by superstition or anxiety, but by gratitude, peace, and a renewed commitment to walk with You. Make her new year one of growing in Christ, bearing fruit that remains. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

As you approach September 10th, I encourage you to bring these matters to a trusted pastor or mature believer in your local church for ongoing counsel and prayer, especially regarding your relationship and your walk with Christ. God delights to give wisdom to those who seek Him. May He lead you into a year of true peace and joy in Him.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for opening your heart and sharing the burden you have carried into this birthday. It is understandable to want this day to be peaceful and joyful after the hurt you experienced two years ago and the disappointment of last year. God sees both the sting of unkind words and the small frustrations that can feel larger when they come on a day you hoped would be special, and He invites you to bring all of it to Him without fear.

Part of your prayer asks for protection from harm, from ill will, and from spiritual attack. Scripture does teach that the Lord puts a hedge about His people. When Satan looked at Job he complained that God had hedged him about, and his house, and all that he had on every side. That hedge is real, and the blood of Jesus is the true covering for all who trust in Him. At the same time Scripture shows that blessing is not automatic. On one mountain the tribes were to pronounce blessings and on the other mountain curses, and the people were to answer amen, so be it, acknowledging that God is just in both. The promise that follows is conditional, if you will hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord your God to observe to do His words. When we walk in obedience we are under His blessing, and when we turn aside we step outside that place of blessing. This is why the fear of the Lord is so central. One proverb says the fear of the Lord is the summation of knowledge, and another says it is the first step of wisdom. To fear the Lord is to hate evil and to love what He loves, to choose His way because we revere His holy name.

That helps put fear itself in perspective. You mentioned wondering if something spiritual was working against you when your television failed, and carrying worry that someone might be wishing harm on your birthday. It is right to pray, let no weapon formed against me prosper, and to trust that anything not sent by God has no authority over your life. But fear and faith cannot rule the heart at the same time. When Nehemiah faced those who tried to intimidate him, he recognized their tactic was to put fear in his heart so he would react wrongly, and his answer was, remember the Lord. Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is with you and will give you strength. Fear forgets the presence and power of God, while faith remembers Him. You do not need to live looking over your shoulder for curses or hidden attacks. If God is for you, nothing can reach you except what He allows, and what He allows He will use for your good.

I also want to speak gently about your relationship. You asked for prayer for your boyfriend, your home together, your travels and finances as a couple. Because I care for you I cannot ask God to bless a romantic relationship outside of His design. Scripture teaches that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, and that marriage is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and that sexual intimacy and living together belong within that covenant. God loves you and wants what is best for you, which includes purity, clarity, and holiness in this area. My prayer for you is not that God would simply bless the relationship as it is, but that He would give you wisdom, growth, maturity and discernment to recognize what is for you and strength to let go of what is not, as you yourself prayed. Ask Him to show you whether this relationship is leading toward a godly marriage or whether He is calling you to a different path, and give you grace to walk in obedience either way. That same discernment applies to your finances, your home, and your travel plans. God delights to give favor and to provide, and He also calls us to be good stewards who honor Him with every decision.

You also mentioned the painful text from your boyfriend's former wife. It is right to pray that God would convict where conviction is needed and bring peace and understanding. It is also right for you to release that hurt to Him and choose forgiveness, not holding onto the offense as you enter this new year. Letting go does not excuse what was said, but it frees your heart from carrying it forward.

So I will pray for you in this way. That the Lord would cover you with the blood of Jesus as you put your trust in Him, and keep you in His perfect peace as you keep your mind on Him. That He would teach you the fear of the Lord which hates evil and loves righteousness, so that you walk in the way where His blessings are found. That He would replace fear with faith as you remember His presence and power each morning and evening. That He would fill your birthday with His nearness, with quiet joy and gratitude that does not depend on perfect details, though I pray those details go well, and with deeper growth in wisdom, healing, purpose and favor that comes from walking closely with Christ. That He would give you traveling mercies and guard you from danger, and above all that this new year would be marked by drawing nearer to Jesus, knowing His love more deeply and reflecting it more clearly.

Thank you again for trusting me with this prayer. You have placed your birthday, your future, and your entire life in God's hands, and that is the safest place to be. May you enter this next year without fear, trusting that the Lord who has brought you through so much is able to keep you and to lead you in His true and just way. In the name of Jesus, amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf and we are glad that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer for your birthday on September 10th.

We have been lifting you up before the Lord and asking Him to cover you and your home and your relationship and your travels and your finances with the blood of Jesus and to place a strong hedge of protection around you in the weeks leading up to your birthday and on the day itself and in the days that follow. We have been praying with you that every assignment and every harmful word or intention spoken against you would be cancelled in the mighty name of Jesus and that no weapon formed against you shall prosper as promised in Isaiah 54:17. We have also been praying that the Lord would redeem the pain of your past two birthdays and replace fear and discouragement with His perfect peace and presence, and that your heart would be filled with joy and gratitude and love.

We continue to agree with you for a happy and peaceful and beautiful and unforgettable birthday, that you would feel the nearness of the Lord from the moment you wake until you rest, that every detail you have planned including your braids and your trip and your time with your loved one would come together beautifully and in His favor, and that He would provide abundantly for every need and keep you safe on the road and bring you home with even deeper joy and unity. We pray that this new year of life would be a year of wisdom and growth and healing and favor and abundance and purpose, and that the Lord would give you discernment and strength for each step ahead according to Psalm 91:11 and Jer 29:11.

If your request was answered and you experienced His protection and peace and provision over your birthday, please post a praise report and let us all know so we can rejoice with you. If your request does not seem to have been answered or you are still waiting for complete peace and restoration over this special day, please post it again as a new request and allow us to continue with you in prayer.

May God bless you as you continue to seek Him through His Son Jesus Christ. We pray in Jesus Name Amen.